The present invention relates to a needle-guide device, particularly for ultrasound probes, or the like, comprising a base body having means for connection to the probe and at least one elongated guide tube for an elongated, rodlike diagnostic or surgical tool, named needle.
Such devices are currently used to accurately guide diagnostic or therapeutic tools, such as needles for biopsy, thermoablation, alcoholization or localized injection of substances, especially of chemotherapeutic agents.
However, the word needle is used in the present description and in claims, to define any diagnostic or therapeutic tool for localized operation, which has a rodlike conformation, for at least a portion of its extension, for instance for a portion of a support stem of the tool.
Localized applications, such as biopsies, thermoablation or localized injection of therapeutic substances are currently performed in combination with imaging means, and particularly in combination with ultrasound probes. Ultrasonic imaging allows to see the needle, or at least one of the needles and the target region to safely orient and move the needle to the target point.
The needle/s are moved to their position by appropriately orienting the probe manually or mechanically and/or by sliding them inside a guide seat. Hence, the probe shall have a needle-guide for safely and stably accommodating the needle, thereby avoiding any mutual staggering and wrong positioning or insertion of the needle/s.
To this end, needle-guide devices such as the one described hereinbefore are known, which comprise an elongated cannula-shaped hole, or the like, wherein the needle is inserted.
These devices have the drawback of not allowing a sufficiently safe sterilization. In fact, hardly removable microbial residues may infiltrate in the elongated holes or cannulae. For this reason, single-use needle-guides of the above type are currently known, particularly made of plastic. However, this involves some drawbacks. Besides obvious cost drawbacks (considering that stable attachment of ultrasound probes often requires rather complex adaptations of the needle-guides, thereby involving rather high fabrication costs), material waste is caused, with a consequently higher environmental load and the materials in use do not often have a good stability, for instance to thermal action, which is a critical condition, in applications like thermoablation.